


New Home

by NimueOfTheNorth



Series: Fluff Bingo 2019 [4]
Category: NCIS, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 02:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimueOfTheNorth/pseuds/NimueOfTheNorth
Summary: After John lured him away from DC, Tony makes himself familiar with his new home.





	New Home

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written as part of the Just Write Discord Server's Fluff Bingo 2019, in answer to the prompt "Sunrise".

The night was already almost over, but Tony was still roaming the hallways of his new home.

He hadn’t had any intention to leave DC, but when John had walked back into his life, asking Tony to join his mission, saying yes had been one of the easiest things he’d ever done.

John had kept throwing him worried glances as the mother of all NDAs had hinted at the depth of the rabbit hole he was about to enter, but Tony had just raised an eyebrow and made sure not to miss any dotted lines. The glances had made a reappearance as Dr Daniel Jackson gave Tony a powerpoint presentation more suited to Hollywood than the Air Force. Tony would be lying if he said he hadn’t had to fight with his disbelieve, because this was much wilder than even the wildest rumours about what was going on in Cheyenne Mountain.

What it came down to was that Tony trusted John, he trusted Hammond, and by extension, he trusted O'Neill and his people. The rest was jumping into the deep end and hoping he could swim as well as everyone believed. Once he'd taken that leap, his life was irrevocably changed and now included spaceships, wormholes and the lost city of Atlantis floating on an alien ocean in a galaxy far, far away as his new normal. And it didn't matter that Rodney McKay kept insisting that Pegasus was barely across the street in galactical terms, it qualified as far, far away in Tony's book.

He let his fingers glide over a wall panel and got warmth and a soft glow in response to his touch.

Atlantis.

They’d found his ATA gene back at the mountain, while the medical department ran the most thorough check he’d ever received and that ended with his lungs being miraculously restored to full health by an alien device. He was still relearning to not pace himself as much as he had needed since the plague.

John had tried to explain to him how Atlantis would react to his gene, what the connection to the city felt like. But Tony had known the moment he stepped onto the city yesterday that nothing could have ever prepared him for the way the city enveloped him and slipped into the back of his mind. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just decidedly odd and something to get used to.

It was one reason he couldn’t sleep tonight.

There was also his ongoing thoughts about everything that needed to be dealt with, set up, put into motion to allow them to properly police the growing community on Atlantis. These people had been on their own for almost a year and had gotten used to their own ways. It would be an adjustment period for everyone involved to have dedicated law enforcement on the city. John and Tony had already agreed that he'd be included in other tasks and would set up a variety of recreational activities, so that would help people grow used to him and provide a valve for some of the tensions hidden under the surface of the mission.

He was mighty glad Paula Cassidy had agreed to be his second on this mad adventure and could only hope she wouldn't come to regret it. Choosing a woman as his partner had been a no-brainer given their mandate, and Paula was just the kind of steady and strong personality that would serve them well out here. She'd already proven that during their preparations and arrival.

Instead of sleeping, Tony was just walking without any destination in mind, getting a feeling for his new surroundings, and navigating based on the map he’d memorised as much as he could. He wondered how much longer he’d be allowed his solitude as surely John would come after him as soon as he got up for the new day. Tony had marvelled at John’s ability to just go to sleep once the day on Atlantis was over, even though he knew it was a result of his military training. Tony had tried to follow suit, but intergalactic jetlag was apparently a special beast. More likely it was his inner restlessness in the new environment that kept him awake because even with the night drawing to an end, Tony still wasn’t feeling tired. He’d have to schedule a power nap at some point during the day.

He'd made it pretty high up in the central tower, and as he turned yet another corner, a balcony with a spectacular view opened up in front of him.

Tony stepped out, expecting the air to be cool, but despite the light breeze, there was barely a difference to the inside temperature. He braced his arms on the railing and let his eyes wander over the magnificent structure that was his new home. Even in the twilight, there were still clear signs of the damage caused during the siege, reminders of how close he'd come to losing John out here. He'd have been lucky to be even informed that John had been KIA in that case. A cold shudder ran down his neck at the mere thought, and he turned his eyes away.

He took in the vast ocean around them instead, trying to figure out in which direction the mainland with the Athosian settlement lay. Meeting Teyla Emmagan had been an interesting experience, and he was looking forward to getting to know her and her people better.

He heard steps coming down the corridor towards the balcony, but before he could even turn around to look, he got the odd impression that it was John coming from the same area of his mind where he felt Atlantis's hum. On a whim, he decided to go against his instincts and trust this new source of information. He was rewarded as strong arms came around his waist, accompanied by the familiar smell of John.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“No, Mr sleepy head. I was restless and didn’t want to risk waking you up with my tossing and turning, so I went exploring,” Tony said and leaned back into John’s embrace.

“As long as you don’t make a habit of these nightly wanderings.” John nudged his nose against Tony’s neck just below his ear. “Life can turn hectic here on a dime, so getting regular sleep when possible is important. And I sleep much better with you beside me. I hated waking up in a cold and empty bed. Done that too much.”

“Sorry, I don’t think it’ll happen again. I enjoy my sleep and the morning cuddles as well. Insomnia isn’t really something I have to deal with a lot.”

John sucked in a breath. “Is this too much? I tried not to pressure you into this, as much as I want you here. But if you think that you can’t deal with the reality of Atlantis, you can just say so. Nobody will hold it against you.”

"Oh, shut it." Tony turned in John's arms and looked deep into his eyes. "This is not too much. And even when the shit hits the fan the next time, it still won't be too much. I just need a bit of adjustment and to settle into a new routine, and I'll be fine. I'm made of much sterner stuff than whatever Pegasus has in store for me, I promise. And more importantly, I've got you, and that makes everything worth it."

"No pressure then," John said with a wry smile but relaxed by degrees.

Tony leaned in until he could press his lips against John's in a simple kiss. That they could do this in a public spot without fear of discovery made even such a chaste gesture exhilarating.

John pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, then started to walk them back into the shadows. He broke the kiss to pull Tony down onto a lounger-like structure, Tony hadn't noticed before. It seemed to have grown out of the wall. Tony willingly followed John's tug to settle into his arms so they could kiss some more.

“This city has some very convenient features,” he said in between kisses.

"Yeah. This spot is rather popular for dates, and when a gene carrier bemoaned the lack of seating, she just pushed these structures out of the wall. The other corner has a lovely round booth style dining table," John explained without ever fully detaching himself from Tony.

"Is that also why it isn't as cold out here as it should be?"

"Yeah, Atlantis is pretty eager to make us comfortable wherever she can."

"Guess I know where I'll take you once I've found a place to cook proper pasta." Tony finally broke away from John and snuggled into his side, head on the strong chest. They were both breathing heavy, and there was only so much making out he could take before temptation got too big, and neither John nor he needed to be caught in flagrante delicto on a public balcony.

They lay there in silence, just enjoying being close, their hands caressing aimlessly whatever part of the other was in reach.

Tony’s eyes wandered back to the horizon that had gone from pale grey to the first tinges of orange. It didn’t take long for the sun to come up over the horizon and turn the ocean into liquid gold.

“Good morning, Tony,” John murmured. “Welcome to your first sunrise in a foreign galaxy.”

“No,” Tony said and squeezed John’s hand. “The first sunrise in my new home.”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Paula Cassidy would already be dead by this point in canon. And her and Tony would've had a fling. But if you read the first part of this series, you'll remember that I already messed about with John's backstory, so let's just lump it all together under the Canon Divergence tag, shall we?


End file.
